Brandon Jennings now ‘working’ for Under Armour
US professional basketball player Brandon Jennings was the first basketball star to endorse athletic apparel company Under Armour when it entered the basketball apparel market.
A summer of intense workouts at the Under Armour offices in Baltimore, Maryland, led to a kind of internship at the company for Mr Jennings. He attends meetings, brainstorms with designers and offers his thoughts on apparel and shoes. His opinion is sought on sunglasses, basketball shoes, running shoes and workout clothes, considering both style and functionality.
“He’s like a think tank for them,” said Kris Stone, Under Armour’s director of sports marketing for pro basketball. “He's provided a lot of insights to the team on different trends in the marketplace — what’s next and what’s innovative.”
Mr Jennings said of his work at the company: “I thought I would just be working out here every day. They came to me and said, ‘Since you're down here every day, why don’t you help us out with some ideas? We’re going to put you to work.’”
Mr Jennings had a major influence on his new line of basketball shoes. The shoes will come in several colour schemes, each related to where he has lived and played basketball — Compton and Gardena in California, Oak Hill Academy in Virginia, Lottomatica Virtus Roma in an Italian pro league and Milwaukee.
